10/30/01

Elizabethe Holland of the St. Louis Post Dispatch
reports on a speech by Particia Ireland, former head of the
National Organization for Women, October 29, 2001:

"It's important that we have freedom to debate and listen with open
ears," she said. "I also want us to recognize not only what we're
hearing in the discourse, but who we're hearing... and who we're not
hearing."

Ireland said the majority of voices the nation has heard on all things
significant since Sept. 11 belong to "rich, white, able-bodied and
apparently straight men."

Where are the other voices, Ireland queried, those of women and people
of color? If the collection of voices was more balanced, citizens
might have heard more by now about the need to harness power and
anger, she said, rather than a steady diet of "guy talk."

"Guy talk may be speaking in black and white of good and evil." With
such a strong push for citizens to think alike, now is an especially
important time to pursue governmental action on other key issues such
as poverty and hate-crimes legislation, Ireland said. She also said
citizens need to be mindful of military women's lack of reproductive
rights while overseas. Securing abortion rights has long been one of
NOW's top battles....